


Dreamscapes to Conquests

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dresses, Flower Crowns, Gen, Language of Flowers, M/M, Multi, Nonbinary Hermann Gottlieb, panpoly Hermann-inna-dress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-09-26 17:31:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9913427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: Side-by-side, they sit on a peaceful street in a town that seems provincial. A dress shop stands next to a flower shop in the middle of Bay Drive. Hermann indulges and learns that not all is as it seems in a small town on the Pacific Rim.





	1. Pray Tell, What Would the Roses Say?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seaweedredandbrown](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaweedredandbrown/gifts), [steampunkepsilon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/steampunkepsilon/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, two things about this fic; I love flower crowns and I am incapable of keeping them off of any and all PacRim characters but especially when it comes to Hermann. I am equally unrepentant for my penchant to stick PacRim characters-inna-dress. For those of you who've dug through my fics, the town may sound a little familiar! 
> 
> Without further ado, I present this fic~ 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> A Note: Hermann's pronouns might be a bit hard to read! Zhe reads as ZEE and Zher reads as ZER.

* * *

Dr. Hermann Gottlieb was a hard person to please. Zhe knew this like zhe knew numbers; seemingly cold and inflexible in all but the most principled of topics. 

But—

That was zhe before zher sky-rocketed to quiet fame by catching a booking error in accounting for a rather large international firm. Zhe was turning over a new leaf and being true to zherself for the first time in years. When zhe had closed zher eyes and spun a globe, zhe had never expected zher fingertip to land on a town called Jaeger.

Hermann packed what little zhe owned, looked around the cavernous apartment with its cold palatial backdrop and swore never to look back into the past.

* * *

The house at the very end of town suited Hermann just fine. It was large enough for an in-law suite for zher's many siblings to come and visit but still small enough that zhe wouldn't feel like zhe was rattling around in a fire-hazard. 

"Now, there is one other thing, Mx. Gottlieb," the real-estate agent, a Mrs. Sevier, paused as she glanced out of the bay windows. "Someone died here in 2015. The seller has some requests that may be rejected but would be preferable." 

"Name them," Hermann sighed softly as zhe traced fingertips over the smooth countertop. 

"They would like for the rose garden on the south side to remain there and permission to gather any full blooms for the person who died here." Mrs. Sevier peered at zher's solemn expression as zhe peered out of the southern window. "They aren't a deal-breaker—" 

The bushes are neatly trimmed back for winter and zhe hummed thoughtfully. "I shall leave the garden and permission for the roses is granted. However, I would also need them to maintain the garden as I cannot." Hermann gestured to zher body almost dismissively, showcasing the damaged leg and the crooked posture zhe has had to live with for decades now. "I accept the terms given." 

"Oh. Oh! The main bedroom is this way..." 

Zhe took in the warm tones and the way the house seemed to welcome zhe in a way that the apartment never had. 

"I'll take it." 

"This is prime land." She hummed. "Will it be developed?" 

"No, I think not. I'll be paying double the asking price." Hermann answered as the sliding doors looked out over the beach. 

"Double?! You are very generous..." Mrs. Sevier wrote quickly and efficiently on the papers, the scratch of the pen almost a whisper.

"I want to make sure it's mine," zhe corrected, "and judging by your reaction, the seller did not even expect the asking price." 

"I cannot disclose that information." She sighed but nodded in silent agreement. 

"I understand."

* * *

Zhe's first foray into town was to buy groceries. The Volkswagen Bug had been zher's for years and it served Hermann faithfully now. It also had the added effect of helping zhe fit in since it wasn't entirely damage-free. The dent on the bumper gave it character. 

Once Hermann was inside the grocery store, zhe could feel the interested stares. 

"Groceries for one. You plan on staying or just passing through?" The cashier asked nonchalantly. The name tag read 'Yancy' in block lettering. 

"Staying, I should think. I bought the house up the road," zhe replied as zhe set eggs on the conveyor belt and adjusted zher glasses by pushing the center up with zher fingertip. 

"So you'd be the new resident," came the cheerful remark from behind Hermann. "Tendo Choi. I run the dress/tailor shop across the way." 

"Hermann Gottlieb." Hermann shook Tendo's hand briskly but with enough pressure to be friendly. 

"Shoot! Umm, pronouns are he-him-his. You?" Tendo grinned brightly and Hermann found zherself replying in kind. 

"Zhe-zher." 

"N-bee?" 

"Yes." 

"Alright. You take care, Mx. Gottlieb." Tendo said as he dumped a load of fruit onto the belt. 

"Tendo! You're gonna clean us outta strawberries, you keep buying them like this..." Yancy protested weakly. 

"I like spoiling my date-mate, Becket-boy." Tendo fired back as Hermann left the store with bags in hand. 

"Ye look like you could use a flower," the thick Australian accent had Hermann looking up from fumbling with zher keys to see a rather built person wave zhe over with a dirt-encrusted glove. "Since you're new, yeah, you get one flower on the house." 

"I dare say the gossip in this town is considerably faster than expected." Hermann wryly replied. 

That made the ginger throw back their head and laugh. "Caught us out. Tendo knows everybody an' you're the newest face in years. Hercules Hansen, he-him-his, and fer th' love of roses, please use Herc. Everyone else does." Herc shrugged his—extremely broad—shoulders and offered Hermann a sprig of... Edelweiss? 

"This is lovely," Hermann cradled the sprig and then, on a whim zhe can never quite explain, said, "May I come in?" 

"T' the shop? Sure." Herc propped open the door with his booted foot and Hermann hastily put away zher groceries in the Bug. "I'll holler when it's been twenty minutes so yer groceries don't go bad." 

"I... Thank you." Zhe ducked into the shop and sighed at the sight of riots of color bursting from nearly every corner. Hermann closed zher eyes, inhaling the rich scent of blooming flowers and loamy earth. "Oh. You have a lovely place." 

"Thanks," Herc grinned as he stepped inside and Hermann's breath hitched for a second at the lazy grin aimed at zhe. "See any you like?" 

"I'll take the edelweiss, the daffodils and some... mugwart if you carry it." 

"That's a hefty combo there." 

"They're for me." 

"New start, new flowers?" Herc asked as he arranged the flowers and the mugwart into a beautiful bundle. 

"You are well-versed in the language of flowers." Hermann teased—teased!—with a small smile. 

"A little bit," Herc chuckled as he handed over the bouquet. "There you go. That'll be... Mmm, 22.30. Card or cash?" 

"Card." Hermann wanted to prolong the warmth Herc gave off as easily as the sun shone. 

"Listen, dunno if you're at all interested, but I've got a seasoned pair of hands t' work your garden. Tamsin said you'd agreed to keepin' it." Herc offered and Hermann grasped at the opportunity. "It'll be me an' the former owner but we'll make sure it shines. Wednesdays work for you?" 

"I-Yes, of course." 

"Now this one's free of charge 'cause I hate seein' a good garden go t' waste like that one." Herc admonished with a wag of his gloved finger. 

"I thought it a shame to destroy." Hermann almost groaned when zhe realized zher hadn't introduced zherself. "Ah, pardon me, I'm Hermann Gottlieb, zhe-zher." 

"Nice to meet ye, Hermann. I'll see you next Wednesday unless you come in for a replacement bouquet." Herc waved as zhe left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	2. Companionship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh this hasn't been updated in forever but I swear the story's still there! Plenty of future shenanigans to be had~ 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

The bouquet's smell took over most of Hermann's rather sparse kitchen. 

Hermann turned on some music and slowly started to piece together zher new home. About halfway through, zher heard a knock on the door. Zhe turned to the recently put-up mirror and grumbled at the sight zhe made; the flower crown was crooked, zhe's shirt had seen better days and the skirt... Oh dear. The skirt might cause an issue. Zhe debated fiercely before the knock sounded again. 

Hermann would live up to the eccentric millionaire name, it seemed. Ah well. 

"This is the Gottlieb.... residence?" Zhe blinked at the sight of a plush Chinese lung in rainbow minky presented by a pair of hands. 

The people behind it gave a respectful bow which Hermann returned carefully. 

"We are the Wei Tang Clan. I am Wei Cheung, these are my brothers Wei Hu and Wei Jin. We welcome you to the edge of Jaeger Bay and to the town. We live just down the way and to the left." Wei Cheung introduced them all and Hermann rose a brow as Wei Cheung continued in the Queen's English at a measured pace. "May we help you move in?" 

"Ah, that is very kind of you," Zhe answered. "Is there something I can help you with in... return?" 

"Nope!" The shortest of the Wei brothers chirruped. "You can use informal address to separate us by name if you need to. Everyone else does. I'm Jin!" 

Hermann shook Jin's hand and invited them inside. "Excuse my mess, I've just gotten to the boxes." 

All three Weis kicked off their boots in the mud room. 

"Uh, if you don't mind me asking... Where's the rest of your stuff?" Hu, at least Hermann thought it was Hu, asked quietly as he took in the boxes. 

"I left a lot behind." Hermann hedged as zhe bustled around the kitchen, cleaning and labeling the cabinets. 

"Jaeger's a good place. We're like family here," Cheung murmured as he washed dishes and dried them. Hermann settled the dishware in place and moved onto the rest of the house. 

"I do have some flat-packed Ikea furniture in the winter garden. I don't suppose you're any good with tools?" Hermann offered after they'd flattened all the boxes and tucked them away in the storage closet. 

"Nice! My time to shine." Hu jumped up eagerly. Hermann watched as the siblings argued genially about which pieces went where in a dialect Hermann didn't understand. The Wei siblings looked a lot like Hermann's own as they pieced it all together. "All done. It's starting to look like a home."

Hermann had to agree. With all of zher knick-knacks and the brand-new plushie, the space felt lived in. The blank space where the TV would go would have to wait until zhe got the local service to the house. 

"Would you like dinner?" Zhe asked. All three Weis whipped around to face zhe and the plea in the wide, deep brown eyes had zhe shaking zher head. "I'm having German food but you're more than welcome to stay. I make too much sometimes." 

"We're always up for a new experience," Cheung replied. 

"Ah. That's good to know."

* * *

The company of the Weis lasted through most of the evening. They made witty jokes and told stories of Jaeger Bay, drew Hermann in and made zhe laugh so hard, zhe had tears in zher eyes. 

It was when they left that Hermann realized how quiet the house really was. 

Zhe wandered from room-to-room, almost a ghost in zher own home. Absent-minded wandering brought zher out to the rose garden, cool, rich earth staining zher feet as zhe walked along the neatly tended spiral that had—as Hermann had come to learn from the Weis—once belonged to a mother. 

Zhe had explained the sadness of a destroyed thing of beauty and the Weis had traded significant looks which they hadn't explained. 

A soft rustle had zhe tensing and reaching for the small pocketknife zhe kept with zher at all times when out popped... A dog. 

The dog's color was impossible to tell in the rapidly dimming light but when Hermann presented zher hand, the dog's response was to lick it until zhe's palm was covered in slobber. 

Well, at least the dog was well-trained. Zhe reached into zher's pocket and turned the flashlight app of zher phone on. 

"Where is your owner, hmm?" Hermann reached for the collar and found a single tag that made zhe frown the moment zhe finished reading it. 

'DOMINIQUE' was stamped on the front of the tag. 

'FREE 2 GUD HOME' was stamped on the back and then, 'PLS TAKE HER.' 

Zhe sighed heavily but there _was_ a pet store a few miles before Jaeger in Issaquah. Perhaps the house would be less lonely with a companion to greet zhe and to come with on little adventures. 

"Well then, Dominique, shall we find you a proper bed?" 

Dominique woffled quietly and sedately followed zhe home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


End file.
